I do not own
a teflon foot so this is the method I go about
sewing through PVC (vinyl). I love sewing with
vinyl because not only is it a challenge, but
because I learn something new every time I work
with it. I found that wax paper is cheap and
effective way of keeping the fabric from sticking
to the machine while sewing.

Hopefully you
find this short tutorial helpful in your adventures
of sewing with PVC!

Let's
Get Started!

Step
1. Start off by folding your hem and
placing a strip of waxpaper over the folded hem.

You don't really
want to use needles to pin your hem down as needles
make permanent holes in PVC.

Set your machine's
tension (I keep mine at about a 2 or 3 when sewing
with vinyl).

Set your stitch
length and type. (I am using a straight stitch
at about a 2.5 stitch length).

Put your presser
foot on the down position on top of your vinyl
and wax paper.

Step 2.
Guide your hem through the machine as you are
sewing. Your wax paper should help the vinyl glide
through the machine. If needed, apply a little
pressure while guiding the fabric through. Don't
force it through! You could possibly damage your
machine! Keep your other hand on your hem keeping
it folded and flat. Stop the machine when needed
to keep folding your fabric over to keep a nice
even hem.

Step 3.
Once you are done sewing your completed hem, fold
your wax paper and gently rip it off from the
seam. You may have stray pieces of wax paper stuck
inbetween stitches. Just remove them with your
fingers or a set of tweasers.

Now you should
have a nice looking hem on your PVC fabric!

Normally
I would have put some sort of stiff interfacing
and backing on this belt, but since it was for
Halloween, I didn't bother.

Top Stitching

Follow
the same basic steps as above when top stitching.

In the image to the right, I had
actually pinned my red PVC flames to my black
PVC. This is because the wrong side of the red
PVC would slip around on the right side of the
plack PVC. Normally, you would not want to do
this so you don't have tiny holes showing in your
fabric. If you do use pins try making your pin
holes very close together so you can cover them
up with your top stitching.

I hope you have
found this tutorial helpful! Sewing with PVC can
be daunting, but with practice it becomes easier
each time you do it.